Vance offers site for activity center

Town's mayor tells County Commission that facility is needed in eastern part of county

Vance Mayor Keith Mahaffey, shown in July 2012, presented a resolution to the Tuscaloosa County Commission on Tuesday offering Vance's town park as the future site of an activity center.

Dusty Compton | The Tuscaloosa News

By Lydia Seabol AvantStaff Writer

Published: Thursday, February 28, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 11:54 p.m.

TUSCALOOSA | Vance has officially offered up its town park to the Tuscaloosa County Commission for a possible future site of an activity center to be built in the eastern part of the county.

Vance Mayor Keith Mahaffey presented a resolution to the commission Tuesday that has been approved by the Vance Town Council. There are 40 acres of land at the town park, some of which the town is developing to include four baseball fields and a walking trail that goes through a wetlands area. The site is also home to a new town hall, which is under construction.

But there is plenty of room for a new activity center and other recreational fields, Mahaffey said.

“Anytime you do consider building an activity center, we have some property we would like you guys to build one on sitting in the middle of Vance,” Mahaffey told the commission.

The need for an activity center is great, he said.

“At any given day, approximately 30,000 people at any given time are in the eastern part of Tuscaloosa County,” Mahaffey said. “There's a definite need.”

Commissioner Jerry Tingle, who represents the eastern part of the county, said he appreciated Vance's offer and that it will be taken into consideration.

“We certainly, when we get to that point, will consider all locations brought before us,” Tingle said, adding that some other sites have also been proposed, although he wouldn't say where. “(The activity center) has got to happen.”

Tuscaloosa County has parks with spacious activity centers in almost every part of the county, except for one: the eastern district, near the towns of Lake View, Tannehill and Vance. Tuscaloosa County has built six activity centers across the county. The most recent, a 60,000-square-foot center at Faucett Brothers Park, is set to open Friday.

On Feb. 13, more than 40 people packed into the Tuscaloosa County Commission chambers to back a petition requesting a park and activity center to be developed in the eastern part of the county. The petition had 1,770 signatures supporting the cause.

“There is an obvious void in District 2 of this county,” said Clyde Sellers, who lives in the area and spoke to the commission. “We believe a facility would enhance and promote a healthy lifestyle and promote continued growth in our area.”

It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to get to the nearest activity center at Bowers Park from the eastern part of the county, according to residents. Various groups in the eastern part of the county have tried to organize ballparks and have requested a PARA-operated activity center over the past decade, but it hasn't come to fruition, said Mark Phillips, who lives in Lake View.

“There's been a need for quite a while,” Phillips said. “This part of the county has been overlooked for a long time, and the population has tripled in size in the last 10 years.”

Although Tingle has voiced his support over the issue, the Commission has not voted on whether or not it's a project that will be funded. An activity center in the Eastern part of the county is not on the Tuscaloosa Park and Recreation Authority's five-year plan.

In other business Wednesday, the commission discussed the future of a tennis complex planned for Alberta and plans to meet with PARA and the city of Tuscaloosa to discuss the contract on how that facility will be operated.

<p>TUSCALOOSA | Vance has officially offered up its town park to the Tuscaloosa County Commission for a possible future site of an activity center to be built in the eastern part of the county. </p><p>Vance Mayor Keith Mahaffey presented a resolution to the commission Tuesday that has been approved by the Vance Town Council. There are 40 acres of land at the town park, some of which the town is developing to include four baseball fields and a walking trail that goes through a wetlands area. The site is also home to a new town hall, which is under construction. </p><p>But there is plenty of room for a new activity center and other recreational fields, Mahaffey said. </p><p>“Anytime you do consider building an activity center, we have some property we would like you guys to build one on sitting in the middle of Vance,” Mahaffey told the commission. </p><p>The need for an activity center is great, he said. </p><p>“At any given day, approximately 30,000 people at any given time are in the eastern part of Tuscaloosa County,” Mahaffey said. “There's a definite need.”</p><p>Commissioner Jerry Tingle, who represents the eastern part of the county, said he appreciated Vance's offer and that it will be taken into consideration. </p><p>“We certainly, when we get to that point, will consider all locations brought before us,” Tingle said, adding that some other sites have also been proposed, although he wouldn't say where. “(The activity center) has got to happen.”</p><p>Tuscaloosa County has parks with spacious activity centers in almost every part of the county, except for one: the eastern district, near the towns of Lake View, Tannehill and Vance. Tuscaloosa County has built six activity centers across the county. The most recent, a 60,000-square-foot center at Faucett Brothers Park, is set to open Friday. </p><p>On Feb. 13, more than 40 people packed into the Tuscaloosa County Commission chambers to back a petition requesting a park and activity center to be developed in the eastern part of the county. The petition had 1,770 signatures supporting the cause. </p><p>“There is an obvious void in District 2 of this county,” said Clyde Sellers, who lives in the area and spoke to the commission. “We believe a facility would enhance and promote a healthy lifestyle and promote continued growth in our area.”</p><p>It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to get to the nearest activity center at Bowers Park from the eastern part of the county, according to residents. Various groups in the eastern part of the county have tried to organize ballparks and have requested a PARA-operated activity center over the past decade, but it hasn't come to fruition, said Mark Phillips, who lives in Lake View. </p><p>“There's been a need for quite a while,” Phillips said. “This part of the county has been overlooked for a long time, and the population has tripled in size in the last 10 years.”</p><p>Although Tingle has voiced his support over the issue, the Commission has not voted on whether or not it's a project that will be funded. An activity center in the Eastern part of the county is not on the Tuscaloosa Park and Recreation Authority's five-year plan. </p><p>In other business Wednesday, the commission discussed the future of a tennis complex planned for Alberta and plans to meet with PARA and the city of Tuscaloosa to discuss the contract on how that facility will be operated. </p><p>Reach Lydia Seabol Avant at 205-722-0222 or lydia.seabolavant@tuscaloosanews.com.</p>